Stearns County

A Stearns County deputy made an unexpected – and expensive — discovery Friday. The deputy was on patrol heading northbound on County Road 3, south of County Road 131 in Brockway Township. At around 4:15 p.m., the deputy noticed a lot of cash blowing in the breeze just south of the intersection.

A 32-year-old Albany, Minn. man has been indicted on murder charges in connection with the Sept. 3 death of his infant son. Robert John Kaiser was indicted by a Stearns County grand jury Friday for first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder in the death of a 2-month-old boy.

One person is dead and another was seriously hurt in a head-on crash near Kimball Thursday morning. Authorities were called to the area of Highway 15 and 150th Street, just north of Kimball, at about 5:54 a.m. on a report of a head-on crash.

The former mayor of the small Stearns County city of Richmond has been arrested and released. Scott Kron is under investigation for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from the town’s baseball association. Kron resigned his office earlier this summer citing health and personal reasons.

One person is dead and another is injured after a car accident in Stearns County Thursday morning. According to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, police responded to a call around 6:15 a.m. of a two motor vehicle accident at County Road 35 and County Road 37 in Millwood Township.

A Stearns County man is hospitalized after being shot in the stomach early Saturday morning. Deputies responded to a report of a shooting at about 2:17 a.m. on the 200 block of 3rd Street in Holdingford, according to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office.

Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner says they will never stop trying to get the case of Jacob Wetterling resolved. He says he hopes by being featured on CNN’s “The Hunt”, new information will be uncovered.

Officers in Stearns County are searching for a male who allegedly robbed a woman’s home Monday afternoon. According to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, the homeowner returned around 12:32 p.m. Monday and saw an adult male in her home.

The 911 emergency line is back up and running after an outage Saturday afternoon affected multiple counties in the metro area. According to officials, a routing outage is affected 911 calls that were made from landline phones. According to Century Link, the 911 line was down in Sherburne, Stearns, Wright and Benton counties.

Authorities in Stearns County say used fireworks may have sparked a fire that destroyed a trailer and all-terrain vehicle. No one was hurt. The sheriff’s office says the fire was reported late Friday night in North Branch.

A 13-year-old boy from central Minnesota was hospitalized Tuesday after being run over by a tractor. The incident happened shortly after 2:30 p.m. on a farm along the 27000 block of County Road 17 in Millwood Township, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office said.

Officials around the state are reminding people to be careful in recreational waters as heavy rains have caused high water and rapid current. In Fillmore County, seven people were rescued from the Root River on Sunday after they experienced trouble while tubing.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether two men in prison for murder may have been involved with the abduction of Jacob Wetterling. Delbert and Tim Huber of Paynesville – who are father and son – murdered Albertville teacher Tim Larson in a dispute over $50 in 2011.

A St. Cloud man faces felony charges after attacking a nurse and two security guards at St. Cloud Hospital on Tuesday afternoon. According to St. Cloud Police, the assaults occurred just before 3 p.m. Joseph Charles Karnik, 24, is facing three felony-assault charges because of his history of violence towards law enforcement.

A Sauk Rapids man fought police officers, deputies and staff at St. Cloud Hospital after being arrested Saturday afternoon. Shawn Thomas Iees, 26, was spotted by Stearns County deputies and St. Cloud Police officers just before 2 p.m. while walking on Veteran’s Drive near 24th Avenue North in St. Cloud, according to the Stearns County Sheriff’s office. Officers attempted to stop Iees, who has three outstanding warrants, but he fled, leading to a brief foot chase.

Authorities are investigating a shooting incident in Sartell on Thursday afternoon. The incident occurred at about noon at a strip mall on the 1700 block of Pine Cone Rd. N., according to Lt. Jon Lentz of the Stearns County Sheriff’s office. Police were also called to CentraCare Health Plaza in St. Cloud, which is about five miles away from the scene of the shooting.

The University of Minnesota Duluth Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has set up a fund in memory of former Bulldog softball player Mandy Matula. The UMD Softball 1 Four Mandy Matula Fund was established in partnership with Matula’s family. The fund will provide financial support for the Bulldog softball program. Matula was a starting pitcher and utility player with the Bulldogs from the 2007 through 2010 seasons.

After 17 months of waiting, a family finally learned how much time the man who killed their son will be in prison. A Stearns County judge sentenced 18-year-old Jesse Smithers to 10 years on Thursday. Smithers admitted to delivering the deadly punch in a St. Cloud alley almost a year and a half ago. On Sept. 21, 2012, Colton Gleason was walking with friends when a car pulled up, and Smithers got out and punched him. Colton died after falling and hitting his head.

An 18-year-old Sauk Rapids man accused of a deadly assault has changed his originally plea of not guilty to 2nd-degree murder in a Stearns County court Friday morning. According to the Stearns County Attorney’s office, Jesse Smithers amended his plea to 2nd-degree unintentional murder. In Sept. 2012, Smithers was riding in a car driving down a St. Cloud alley when he asked the driver to stop. He got out of the vehicle and approached three men nearby, including Colton Gleason. Smithers punched Gleason with a closed fist. He later died at St. Cloud Hospital from his injuries. Smithers was 17 at the time of the crime, and was charged as an adult.

The family of Mandy Matula is spending Monday balancing a sense of closure with unspeakable grief. After months of wondering what happened to her, they’re spending the day visiting the site where her body was found.